Power transmission.



0.?W. TAYLOR. POWER TRANSMISSION.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1911.

1,043,372. Patented Nov. 5, `1912|` je [HLW 5 f3 if Ilm 17 "WHW @Ww afm@A, Ulm@ (GWW 'drin CLARENCE W. TAYLOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

POWER TRANSMISSION.

Specification-of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

Application filed 'iay 26, 1911. Serial No. 629,587.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENGE VVJTAYLOR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Power Transmission, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to' improvements in"` and the primary object'y isto afford mechanismv d a vehicle wheel having'spokes 18 and carry powertransmission, of my improvement for prompt and elfective engagement an4instant release between a driving and a driven member to actuate thedriven member in either direction and to permit the driven member toindependently disengage and revolve faster than the driving member ineither direction.

4Another object of my invention is to provide simple means to facilitateinstant release'of grapple or clutch means when the speed of the drivenmember for any reason becomes greater than that of the driving member.

A further object ofniy present improvement is a construction adapted fora wide scope of employment, and particularly o service in motor vehicleswhether on the adjacent ends of 'a divided counter shaft of a doublechain drive, or divided rear axle or near the outer ends of an axle withtraction wheels loosely journaled thereon.

I attain the foregoing and other objects by the mechanism illustrated.in the accompanying drawings, in which# n Figure 1 is a cross sectionalview with my improvement in end elevation as applied to a rotatableshaft with a vehicle loosely journaled on the shaft. Fig. 2 is avertical sec tion partly in elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail online 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

While the general from illustrated in the preferred embodiment is of themetal to metal, dry plate type, my invention is eflicient when run inoil. The gripping or engaging surfaces may be faced with leather,vulcanized fiber or other material to secure a high coeicient offriction if desired.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals 1 designates a revolubleshaft or axle having a collar 2, keyed thereon at 3. The collar isprovided with oppositely projecting lugs 4, which are adapted forengagement with one end of the respective links 5,6,7 and 8,by means ofpins 9 and 10.

'For the purpose of pinching or longitudinally gripping what is termed adriven member hereinafter mentioned, I have provided lever lmeans 11,each having a stud 13 for link engagement,a bearing portion 12, and anapertured lug 111, with a erture l15, all of which will be more fu lyset forth.

The driven member 16 is keyed at 17 to ing the customary brake-band 19.VThe driven member carries what is termed a grapple preferably forordinary work composed of two parts 20, each having an outer inwardlyprojecting flange 21, and an inner inwardly extending (iange 22 of lessdimensions and being out away at Q3 to accommodate the bearing portion13, of the pinching means 11. To form a pivot for the lug 14 there isprovided a stud 24C which may be integral with or attached to the part20 of the grapple.

For the purpose of facilitating quick re lease of the grapple and thepinching means 11 there is employed comparatively thin elastic blades 25and 26 respectively to secure together the opposing ends of the twoparts of the grapple. These blades, as stated, are elastic and when thegrapple is assembled these blades are flexed sufficiently to describearcs of a circle and fastened by rivets 27 or other means, and theyconstantly urge the grapple parts 20 apart, but when force is applied tocontract the parts of the grapple these blades yield to permit eitherone or both parts to move slightly inwardly in cases Where byconstruction or continued wear the arcs of the driven mem ber andbearing surface of the grapple parts have did'erent radii.

The lever means 11 is adapted 'to exert pressure against the drivenmember and to 21 against the adjacent face pull the flange of the drivenmember. The lever or pressure means acts in conjunction with the grappleto lock in driving relation the driven member and thereby radial andlongitudinal contraction is edected.

In practice when the shaft l is rotated in a forward direction the links6 and 7 will cause the two parts of the grapple to move toward eachother and the pressure means 1l to effect a pinching of the periph- Yeryof the driven member 16 which will continue so long as the drivingmember is revolving at. a greater speed than the driven memberl 1G.'When this particular vehicle wheel becomes the outer Wheel or the Wheeldescribing a longer radius curve in turning a corner, then the drivenmember and its vehicle wheel Will automatically be released by thedriven member running enough faster to straighten the links and thelever or pressuremeans to normal condition of no power being transmittedtherethrough, when the vehiciewheel Will be permitted to rotate freely.When the rates of speed of the driving and the driven members are infavor ot the driving member power transmitting relation ol the grappleand pinching means with the driven member in the same direction willagain be established. The foregoing is true when the vehicle is movingrin 4either direction.

`It will be noted that the elastic blades facilitate prompt release ofthe grapple and the pinching means. These blades may be omitted andeffective Work will be done Without them.

Various changes and modifications in theA details of the invention,Within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departingfrom the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and ldo not desire to be limited to exact construction shown and described ofthe preferred embodiment.

Anything shown and described but/not claimed in this application isclaimed in my copending application Serial No. (327063.

Ilaving thus fully described my invention, what lV claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters latent'-, is:

1. In a power transmission, 'the combination with a 'driving member anda driven member, of `a grapple having a. plurality of parts, therespective ends of said parts being secured together b v elastic bladesto facilitate prompt release of the gra-pple from the driven member,pressure means carried by the grapple, and a" plurality of pairs oflinks each pairof links having their respective inner ends attached tothe-'driving member at points' diametrically opposite 'each other, andthe outer ends of each of said pairs of links being in operativeengagement with one of said pressure means.

2. ln a power transmission, the combination with a driving member and. adriven member, ot a grapple having a plurality of segments. elasticblades fixed to form arcs ofthe grapple circle. and spanning theinterveningv spaces between the opposing ends ofthe segments, apluralitvof pairs of links having their respective inner ends attachedto the driving members at points diametrically opposite each other andthe outer ends of eat-h ot' said pairs of links being inoperativeengagement' with a segment of the grapple. I

8. ln a power transn'lission, in combination with a driven member, agrapple having a pluralityv of segments, and elastic blades flexed toform arcs of the grapple circle and spanning the intervening spacebetween the opposing ends of the segments.

ln testimony whereof, l aiiix my Signature in the presence ot' twowitnesses.

CLARECE lV. TAYLOR.

